The Best TV Episodes of 2022

Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal is one of the most audacious television shows in recent memory. The series is nominally about Nathan going to extravagant lengths to help real people rehearse a variety of awkward social situations, but in the bizarre world of Nathan Fielder nothing is ever quite what it seems. While any of the six episodes could have made our list (“Scion” was a close second), we’re going with the unhinged absurdity of the series premiere (“Orange Juice, No Pulp”).

One of the funniest (and, honestly, brilliant) TV moments of 2022 is Nathan walking around New York with a trivia-obsessed teacher (Kor) as undercover actors discreetly share future trivia answers to an unsuspecting Kor. Nathan’s humdrum approach to preposterous situations is unrivaled and “Orange Juice, No Pulp” perfectly sets the table for the weird, wild anarchy of future episodes. — Josh Sorokach

Watch The Rehearsal on HBO Max

Picking out a best episode of Better Call Saul Season 6 is impossible, but we’re going to do it anyway. While some episodes hit higher emotional points, like Rhea Seehorn’s breakdown in the show’s penultimate episode, Episode 10, “Nippy,” is a perfect standalone encapsulation of everything that made the Breaking Bad spinoff a triumph in its own right.

With just a few episodes left to go in the series, the show jumped forward in time to give us a black and white Gene Takovic (Bob Odenkirk) focused episode that found Saul Goodman’s (also Odenkirk) in-hiding alter ego falling all the way back to his Slippin’ Jimmy (once again, Odenkirk) days with an epic mall theft caper that involved Cinnabon, mazes in a field, and two extremely hapless assistants. The attention to detail is, as usual, phenomenal, and Odenkirk’s performance vacillates from a hilarious duo show with guest stars Jim O’Heir and Carol Burnett to a scene towards the end that brings the full force of Saul Goodman, criminal lawyer, to bear.

Gene, Saul and Jimmy may be the same person, but Odenkirk shows in this one episode the nuanced differences between these three men, while setting up their eventual destruction — and possible redemption. — Alex Zalben

Where to watch Better Call Saul

If there’s one show that dominated awards shows and the TV ratings in 2022, it was freshman comedy Abbott Elementary. And there was no episode that quite summed up its charm than Season 1’s “Desking.” This episode is Abbott Elementary at its platonic best. The teachers must reluctantly band together to stop a viral trend from distracting the students only to realize their biggest strength is to lean into their biggest weakness. This was also the episode that introduced us to Jacob’s boyfriend Zach, setting up Janelle James for some of her all-time one-liners, and that let Emmy winner Sheryl Lee Ralph proclaim the best new religious-themed curse in ages: “Sweet baby Jesus and the grown one, too!”

Abbott Elementary’s “Desking” is where it’s at. — Meghan O’Keefe

Where to watch Abbott Elementary

Euphoria’s second season was a mixed bag. On the one hand, the viewing audience was enormous, easily dwarfing the first season of the shock-heavy HBO drama. On the other hand, plotlines wavered wildly, and rumors of behind-the-scenes drama often dwarfed the conversation about what was actually happening in the show. That all didn’t matter when it came to the season’s stand-out episode, “Stand Still Like a Hummingbird,” aka the one that won Zendaya her second Emmy.

In the hour, Rue (Zendaya) is finally confronted about her relapse, and instead of getting dragged back to rehab by her mother, she goes on the run, leaving wreckage in her wake. An incredibly focused hour that uses creator Sam Levinson’s directing powers for good, every bit of Zendaya’s acting prowess is on display; from her sharp retorts to her friends and family, to a total meltdown in a tub by the end of the episode that almost ends with her being sold into drug-addicted sexual slavery by a former high school teacher. Season 2’s memes may be eventually forgotten, but Zendaya’s performance will stay with us for a long, long time. — Alex Zalben

Watch Euphoria on HBO Max

The season premiere of Stranger Things 4 truly gave us so much: Eddie Munson, Steve Harrington yelling “BOOBIES,” Eddie Munson, Will Byers looking out for his new sister El, Eddie Munson, Max blasting Kate Bush, and did I mention Eddie Munson? Pour one out for this magnetic new character, the metalhead Dungeon Master played by the compelling Joseph Quinn. (Say what you will about the Duffer brothers, but they sure do have an eye for casting up-and-coming talent.) And the scene where Lucas scores the winning basket while his sister Erica rolls a crit hit to win her Dungeon and Dragons battle? Chef’s kiss.

Catch me ignoring Volume 2, because we’ll always have “The Hellfire Club.” — Anna Menta

Watch Stranger Things on Netflix

There’s a lot to love about the Cobra Kai Season 5 finale. We’re once again treated to a karate battle between the warring dojos, our old pal Stingray found redemption, and let’s not forget the hotly anticipated showdown between Daniel and the diabolical Terry Silver. The whole episode was a satisfying end to yet another fantastic season of youth karate madness. But as a longtime Karate Kid fan, my favorite part of the season was seeing Daniel and Johnny share a scene with KK2/KK3 villains Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) and Mike “fucking” Barnes (Sean Kanan).

In a truly epic moment filled with callbacks (“the bad boy’s right, man”) and fisticuffs, Daniel is reunited with his three former bullies as they attempt to take down a common enemy: the increasingly dangerous Terry Silver. The reunion is a perfect blend of humor and misplaced machismo that perfectly encapsulates the ineffable magic of Cobra Kai. — Josh Sorokach

Watch Cobra Kai on Netflix

If you haven’t seen Reservation Dogs, what are you doing with your life? Stop reading this, and go watch one of the best shows on television.

After finally breaking free of the reservation, Elora (Devery Jacobs) returns home when she learns her grandmother is dying. It’s how this episode authentically handles grief that makes it so remarkable. Directed by Danis Goulet and written by Jacobs and Sterlin Harjo, “Mabel” isn’t sorrowful, but instead defined by awkwardness and humor. As the teenagers uncomfortably shuffle from room to room, unsure of how to handle this life-changing event, the adults cope using mockery, half-remembered stories, and endless jokes. It’s one of the most honest depictions of what it’s like to lose a grandparent brought to screen. Because of this forced laughter in the face of tragedy when Jacobs ends the episode with a tear-filled performance, it hits. It’s difficult to find television as quietly sincere as this. — Kayla Cobb

Watch Reservation Dogs on Hulu

Back in July, Decider published our best TV shows of the first half of 2022. Unsurprisingly, Apple TV+’s brilliant, emotionally-jarring quagmire of a psychological thriller Severance topped the list. The series centers on a group of corporate employees who’ve undergone a procedure to separate their work and home-life memories. But the simple synopsis belies the show’s complexities. Nowhere is this more evident than the enthralling season finale: “The We We Are.”

As suspenseful as a day of working at Lumon Industries is long, the episode is a perfect distillation of the brilliance of Severance as our favorite quartet of innies work together to breach the outside world. If you’ve never seen the show, that last sentence probably sounds like actual hogwash — but rest assured it is a tense 40-minutes of TV, enhanced by the virtuoso performances of the talented ensemble. — Josh Sorokach

Watch Severance on Apple TV+

The musical episode of The Afterparty is a shot of joyful adrenaline. The Ben Schwartz-led installment centers on Yasper’s story from the night of Xavier’s murder (Dave Franco), complete with a medley of Broadway-style musical numbers and cleverly crafted one-liners. “Two Shots” and “Yeah Sure Whatever” are certified bangers (you better believe they found their way onto my workout mix), and Schwartz’s infectious comedic energy is on full display in this jubilant, hilarious offering. — Josh Sorokach

Watch The Afterparty on Apple TV+

Based on the series of graphic novels by Alice Oseman, Heartstopper is true to its title, a soaringly sweet story of two teens — the out, gay Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), and Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), the possibly straight boy he’s crushing on — that is as visually inventive as it is adorable to watch. But the stand-out episode in the perfect first season is the third half-hour, which finds the duo at a party together trying to figure out whether they’re more than friends.

Full of beautifully filmed images by director Euros Lyn, including a rainbow bursting out in lights behind the show’s lesbian couple as they kiss, Episode 3 is an encapsulation of everything that is unique and wonderful about the series, and a turning point for the season as a whole. — Alex Zalben

Watch Heartstopper on Netflix

Hulu’s The Bear is a pressure cooker throughout its run, occasionally lightened up by some goofy shenanigans from members of the Original Beef of Chicagoland kitchen. But the first season’s indisputable masterpiece is the seventh episode, “Review.”

In the hour, an accidental (maybe) review spurred on by risotto cooked by sous chef Syd (Ayo Edebiri) causes head chef Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) to spiral out control, breaking the carefully laid, already barely there trust he’s established with his staff over the past episodes. And if the simmering tensions boiling out of control weren’t enough to stress you out, the whole thing is filmed as one, continuous, 20-minute long shot — meaning there’s no way of making out of this episode without a nervous breakdown. A technical masterpiece that also works brilliantly as placed in the season, “Review” is an episode of TV that we’ll be talking about for a long, long time. — Alex Zalben

Watch The Bear on Hulu

Atlanta delivered 20 new episodes in 2022, with Seasons 3 and 4 premiering in March and September, respectively. There are a number of strong installments that’d be right at home on this list, but we’re going with “The Homeliest Little Horse.”

Directed by Angela Barnes and written by Ibra Ake, the episode is vintage Atlanta — and by that I mean a sprawling, expertly crafted story that’s as unpredictable as it is immensely satisfying. The episode centers on two parallel stories that eventually intersect. The first deals with Earn (Donald Glover) attending therapy as he deals with a past trauma as well as a possible trip back to Princeton to receive an honorary degree. His trip is derailed, however, after a racist airport officer denies him entry at the airport. The second centers on a woman (Brooke Bloom) who seemingly achieves her dream of becoming a published author — only to have her aspirations decimated by Earn, who we learn in the final minutes of the episode orchestrated an elaborate plan to ruin her life. Why? Because she’s the racist airport officer who sabotaged Earn’s trip to Princeton.

Darius (Lakeith Stanfield) sum it up rather nicely: “I can’t tell if this is extreme, extreme pettiness or terrorism.” — Josh Sorokach

Watch Atlanta on Hulu

Six seasons in, Rick and Morty has set such a high bar for itself that it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite episode. Genre-twisting and ambitious meta-narratives that would inspire standalone thinkpieces for other shows have simply become the norm for this one. But this episode from director Kyounghee Lim and writer Alex Rubens made me laugh the hardest.

As Rick (Justin Roiland) tries to extract his grandson from a video game, Summer (Spencer Grammer) has to do a Die Hard. But here’s the twist: Summer has never seen Die Hard. It’s all so blissfully dumb, from Grammer repeatedly screaming “Die Hard! Die Hard! Die Hard!” to Morty perfectly capturing how annoying it is to interact with most NPCs. Yet true to form, hiding beneath these very silly jokes is a somewhat jarring examination of AI in video games. What if the random townspeople we mindlessly loot and abuse have some sort of inner life? It’s the marriage of dumb comedy and an interesting sci-fi concept that this show has perfected. — Kayla Cobb

Where to watch Rick and Morty

Heists can make for incredibly engrossing television — if a show knows how to pull it off. For Andor, a gripping thriller set in the Star Wars universe, sticking the landing on a 3-episode heist arc was just one of the many daring feats the show accomplished in its first season.

Andor Episodes 4-6 detail Cassian Andor’s mission with a ragtag group as they attempt to turn what is surely a suicide run — stealing the entire payroll for an entire Imperial sector — into a success for the nascent rebellion. And after two chapters of build-up, “The Eye” pays it all off with a nail-biter of an episode that will leave you breathless and remind you of the power of television. You will never hear the word “climb” the same way again. — Brett White

Watch Andor on Disney+

House of the Dragon delivered week after week of dazzling spectacle, but the show’s zenith came when King Viserys was closest to the end. “The Lord of the Tides” starts off well enough, but Paddy Considine’s heartbreaking performance as a dying king trying to make peace between warring factions of his beloved family makes it a masterpiece. Viserys is able to briefly appeal to his family, seeding the idea that maybe catastrophe can be avoided. Naturally, it all comes undone.

“The Lord of the Tides” underscores the tragedy of the civil war that’s about to come because it shows real love lingering between the warring parties. — Meghan O’Keefe

Watch House of the Dragon on HBO Max